Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a control method therefor and a storage medium, and more particularly, to an information processing apparatus capable of connecting to a network in a power-saving state.
Description of the Related Art
Recently, while network environments in offices are being improved, information processing apparatuses, such as a complex machine provided with a network connection function (a multi-function printer), have spread rapidly, and apparatus coordination with a personal computer, a server and the like via a network is performed. In network environments in offices, secure network connection is indispensable from the perspective of information leakage and security protection. As a security technique therefor, IEEE802.1X defined by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) exists. In IEEE802.1X, by registering apparatuses which can connect to a network with an authentication server in advance, detecting connection by an apparatus to a LAN (Local Area Network) port, and performing an authentication process, participation of an unregistered apparatus in the network can be prevented.
Meanwhile, with increase in interest in environment, there is a great demand for realization of a power-saving technique for reducing power consumption of all information apparatuses used in an office or the like. As a power-saving technique for an information processing apparatus such as a complex machine, there is known a technique of detecting that an apparatus has not been operated for a predetermined time in a normal power state and transitioning to a power-saving state by an autonomous operation to reduce power during standby time.
There is also known a technique of providing a sub-control section which is smaller sized than a main control section and which operates with minimum power supply in a power-saving state, and, realizing both of network connectivity and power-saving by, in the power-saving state, cutting off power to the main control section and causing the sub-control section to perform network processing as proxy for the main control section.
Furthermore, there is known a technique which realizes further power-saving by, at the time of transitioning to a power-saving state, changing setting of communication speed to a communication apparatus to lower speed than the time of a normal power state. For example, when the communication speed is set to automatic speed setting (auto-negotiation) in the normal power state, connection to the communication apparatus is established with 1000 Mbps (Mega bit per second). However, in transition to the power-saving state, the communication speed is set to 10 Mbps. Thereby, it is possible to, in the power-saving state, cause a control circuit of a physical layer related to network connection to be in a non-operating state according to the lower communication speed, and it is possible to realize reduction of power consumption corresponding thereto and realize power-saving.
Here, in the case of using IEEE802.1X authentication in an information processing apparatus which realizes power-saving by changing the communication speed setting to lower speed at the time of transitioning to the power-saving state, an IEEE802.1X re-authentication process occurs due to link disconnection and reconnection accompanying the communication speed setting change at the time of transitioning to the power-saving state. The IEEE802.1X authentication process generally requires a high-load negotiation process with an authentication server, and it is difficult for the sub-control section with in sufficient functions to cope therewith. Therefore, the information processing apparatus is required to transition from the power-saving state to the normal power state and perform the authentication process by the main control section. Though security is maintained, it is not possible to transition to the power-saving state, and power-saving cannot be realized.
In order to realize the power-saving state even when network security authentication is used in such an information processing apparatus, a technique is disclosed in which it is possible to transition to the power-saving state without performing an authentication process by the sub-control section. For example, in a technique disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2011-82922, when the communication state is a non-authentication state in a predetermined communication standard, in the case of switching from the normal power state to the power-saving state, a power supply unit is controlled so that the communication state becomes a communication state enabling authentication, and an authentication process is performed. Furthermore, if the authentication process is successful, the power supply unit is controlled so that power supply to power-saving target parts is cut off to transition to the power-saving state. Then, it is detected that IEEE802.1X authentication is caused to be in a non-authentication state by changing the communication speed setting to lower speed in response to transition to the power-saving state. Then, after the main control section performs a re-authentication process in a state that the communication setting is still changed to the lower speed, power to the main control section is cut off without changing the communication speed setting to transition to the power-saving state. Thereby, both of security and power-saving are realized.
However, in the case of applying the technique disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2011-82922 to the information processing apparatus which realizes power-saving by changing the communication speed setting to communication speed setting lower than the normal power state at the time of transitioning to the power-saving state, a problem shown below occurs.
In the technique disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2011-82922, the IEEE802.1X re-authentication process occurs in a state that the communication speed setting is still changed to the lower speed. As described above, in the IEEE802.1X authentication process, it is necessary to perform a high-load negotiation process with an authentication server, and the amount of data to be processed is large. Therefore, when the re-authentication process is performed under the low communication speed setting, data communication time accompanying the negotiation process performed with the authentication server increases in comparison with the normal power state. For example, when the communication speed setting of 1000 Mbps as automatic speed setting in the normal power state is changed to the communication speed setting of 10 Mbps in the power-saving state, the theoretical communication band of the power-saving state corresponds to one hundredth of that of the normal power state. Data communication time increases by an amount corresponding thereto, and a problem occurs that the information processing apparatus cannot immediately transition to the power-saving state, and power-saving cannot be quickly achieved. That is, the information processing apparatus is required to avoid the IEEE802.1X re-authentication process due to a communication speed setting change made at the time of transitioning to the power-saving state even when communication based on IEEE802.1X authentication is enabled.